The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls Book 4)

by Kristen Painter

  Kaley nodded.

  “Okay.” A moment of silence passed between them. He broke it by rattling the box of pasta. “Mac and cheese?”

  “Sure.” She put her earbuds in and tuned out.

  He said a silent thanks to Pandora for stocking the kid-friendly staple. He dug around some more for the tools to make it with, then got cooking.

  As he dumped the pasta into boiling water, Kaley pulled her earbuds out. “Are you going to marry Miss Williams?”

  He was glad he was faced away from her. He blinked hard. “Um—”

  “Because I’d be okay with it if you did.”

  He smiled as he gave the pasta a stir. “Thank you for that.” He turned. “Any other thoughts on the subject?”

  “If she makes you happy, you should marry her. You’ve been alone a long time.”

  “I haven’t been alone. I’ve had my Kaley-did.”

  She made a face like she was tolerating the endearment. “You know what I mean. I know boys have needs.”

  No chance to hide his face this time. “Needs? What exactly are they teaching you in that school?”

  “Dad, I’m not a baby. I know about kissing and sex. I’ll probably be getting my period like any day.”

  He groaned and covered his face with his hand. “I wish you were four again. Four was a good age.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m not.”

  He looked up. “Have you kissed a boy?”

  “No.” She made a shy face. “But there is a winter dance coming up. I was thinking Miss Williams could take me to get a dress.”

  “Does that mean you have a date?” A date. His little girl on a date. The world was coming to an end.

  “No, but there’s a boy who might ask me.” She sat back. “If he’s lucky, I’ll say yes.”

  Cole stifled a laugh. “That’s my girl.”

  She gave him a long look. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “About?”

  “Are you going to ask Miss Williams to marry you?”

  “Maybe. Eventually.”

  She crossed her arms. “Women don’t like men who can’t make up their minds.”

  He stared at her. “Where is all this coming from?”

  She shrugged. “I like having her around. It’s nice having another girl to talk to. And Lila’s never going to be a real mother to me, so…”

  His gut knotted. Was that what this was about? Having a mother? The hiss of water hitting the stove got his attention. He spun around and knocked the heat back as he lifted the pan to keep it from boiling over a second time. He checked the clock. The pasta had cooked long enough anyway.

  He drained it, added the packet of sauce and stirred. He could very easily see himself married to Pandora. He also couldn’t imagine himself with any other woman.

  What if they tried bonding and it didn’t take? Did it matter? That wouldn’t change the way she felt about him, would it? He spooned the mac and cheese into two bowls and put one on the counter for Kaley. “Food’s ready.”

  “Okay, in a sec.” She was on the floor with Pumpkin, swinging a fuzzy toy on a stick and laughing as the cat swatted at it.

  He wanted Kaley to be happy. Hell, he wanted that for himself. But asking didn’t mean Pandora would say yes. Truth was, all this worry and concern could be for nothing if Pandora wasn’t ready.

  Kaley put the toy down and came to eat. He took his bowl and sat in the chair next to her. “Look, about Miss Williams and what we were talking about, she and I still need to get to know each other, but we’re committed to each other. And if things go the way I think they will, then yes, I will ask her.”

  Kaley nodded and took a bite, smiling while she chewed. “Cool. I can live with that answer.”

  He picked up his fork. So could he.

  Pandora woke with a start. She sat upright, heart pounding, trying to determine where she was. The space was pitch black. She blinked to get her eyes to adjust, then impatiently snapped her fingers. The lights flared on.

  Her own bedroom. That’s where she was.

  “Hey, what’s with the lights?”

  She turned to see Cole’s lanky form sprawled in the dainty toile club chair she’d artfully angled in the far corner. “What are you doing here? What time is it?”

  “Keeping an eye on you.” He squinted at his watch. “It’s nearly three in the morning. How do you feel?”

  She rolled her shoulders. “Not too bad. A little tired. Maybe a little achy. Why? Should I feel worse?”

  “I have no idea. Do you remember what happened?”

  She thought for a moment, and it all came back to her. The old house. Lila. The ashes. Cole and her mother. She nodded. “I fought Lila, used a considerable amount of magic and passed out right after you and my mother showed up.”

  He nodded as he shifted in the chair. “Then I brought you back here.”

  “Who’s watching Kaley?”

  “We are. She’s asleep in your guest room. Which reminds me, Lila didn’t have the real feather. Kaley found it stuck between the pages of her biology textbook.”

  “That’s good to know. At least Lila’s spell wouldn’t have worked.” Pandora looked around. No sign of her cat anywhere. Panic tickled her spine. “Where’s Pumpkin? You didn’t let her out, did you? She’s not an outside cat.”

  A half smile bent his mouth. “She’s also asleep in the guest room. On the bed with Kaley, actually.”

  Pandora’s brows lifted. “My cat is sleeping with someone else?”

  Cole pursed his mouth. “Kaley might have slipped her some mac and cheese.”

  Pandora rolled her eyes. “Food traitor. Not surprising.”

  He held his hands up. “I did tell Kaley she was on a diet, but—”

  “Oh, Kaley knew that already. I’m not mad. But eating all those carbs has probably set her diet back to square one.”

  Cole snorted. “Because she was making such progress.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Pandora lifted up the covers. “I’m wearing a tank top and underwear.” She put the quilt down and gave Cole the eye. “You want to explain that?”

  “Your mother undressed you when she and Stanhill came over to give me the update on Lila.”

  So Cole hadn’t seen her naked yet. That was good. She relaxed. “Which is?”

  “With Sheriff Merrow’s assistance, Lila was transported to the nearest ACW headquarters in Alpharetta. They have samples of the ash and your mother’s statement of events. I have to give one, and so do you, when you feel up to it. Then they’ll deal with her.”

  She nodded. “That chapter is pretty much closed, then.”

  He stood and stretched. “Yes. Thankfully. You’ll be happy to know I spoke with Stanhill, and he’s going to talk to the Ellinghams about work for me. Maybe a teaching position at Harmswood Academy. He also gave me the number for admissions so I can get Kaley enrolled whenever she’s ready.”

  “She’s ready now, isn’t she? How’d Kaley take it?”

  “Yes. She was thrilled. Getting to go to school with witches and whatever other supernaturals go there? She practically danced around the room.”

  “No, I meant about what happened with Lila. You did tell her, didn’t you?”

  “I did.” He moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “It was a big reality check for her. She doesn’t want to see Lila anymore.”

  “She said that?” Poor kid.

  He nodded. “She’s over her dream of Lila ever being a real mother.” He smiled, thinking of some of the other things Kaley had said. He took Pandora’s hand. “Kaley wants you to take her dress shopping for the winter formal.”

  Pandora let out a happy sigh. “She does? That’s so cool. I would love to. I love that kid.”

  “She’ll be happy to hear that. She loves you too.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I’m so glad you’re okay. If anything had happened to you today…” He closed his eyes for a moment.

  “You saved my life. Thank you. I’m
so glad you’re such a smart man. It’s very sexy, you know, all those brains.”

  He grinned as he let her hand go to take something out of his shirt pocket. He held out a wrapped box. “I was going to give this to you at lunch.”

  Smiling, she took the gift. It was too big to be a ring, not that she was expecting one at this stage in their relationship. She unwrapped the box and saw the store name on it. “You went to Illusions?”

  He nodded. “I met Willa. She helped me pick this out.”

  “Isn’t she great? She’s fae. Did you see her pointed ears?”

  “No, I did not. But then, I wasn’t really focused on her.”

  Pandora couldn’t wait to tell Willa everything that had happened. She took the lid off the box and let out a soft gasp. Inside lay a gorgeously decorated silver key. A key. How perfect. “Oh, I love it, Cole. It’s so pretty.”

  “Very fitting, right? Since it’s a key and you’re a realtor and we’re working on the house together.” He gently cleared his throat. “Plus, it’s the, you know, key to my heart.”

  She laughed. “Took a lot for you to get that out, didn’t it? I know sappy’s not your style. You’re practical and you like a plan.”

  “What I like is you. I love you.” He stared at his hands for a moment, then lifted his head. Determination shone in his eyes. “There was something else Kaley wanted me to ask you.”

  She lifted the pendant free and fastened the chain around her neck. “What’s that?”

  “She wanted me to ask you to marry me.”

  Pandora’s mouth opened, but she didn’t say anything. She hadn’t anticipated that.

  “I told her I would.” He took Pandora’s hand again. “When the time is right.”

  She still couldn’t bring herself to say a word.

  “I know we have a lot of getting to know each other to do, but I thought you should know what my plan is. In case you wanted out before things got serious.” He looked at her with clear expectations of an answer.

  She shook her head. “I don’t want out.” Ever. She was so in love with this man her insides felt like they were doing their own kind of magic. She needed him in a way she’d never experienced before. “Brace yourself, because here comes some sap. You make me whole. I know part of that is because you’re a familiar and I’m a broken witch, but whatever, it’s what I feel. I cannot imagine being without you.”

  “I feel the same way. I never thought I’d find a woman I’d consider spending the rest of my life with after everything that happened with Lila. Now I can’t picture a future where we’re not together.”

  Her heart felt about to burst. “I can already tell you what my answer will be.”

  He smiled back. “When I ask, it’s not going to be in the middle of the night with you recovering from battling my ex. It’s going to be special. It’s going to be something memorable and amazing.”

  She nodded. “I like the sound of that, but I have to tell you that in light of everything that happened today and the fact that I could have lost you forever, I’m done waiting. It’s time.”

  “Time for what? Are you saying you want me to ask right now?”

  “No.” She tugged him closer with the kind of wild urgency coursing through her. “I’m saying it’s time to see just how bonded we can get.”

  “Oh.” His eyes widened. “Oh.”

  “Uh huh.” She snapped her fingers, and the lights went out.

  Habit woke Cole before dawn. Pandora lay beside him, fast asleep, her back to him, her hand curled in front of her mouth like she’d just heard something shocking. He leaned down and kissed the silky, freckled curve of her shoulder and inhaled her warm perfume.

  She smelled of fabric softener from the sheets, her floral perfume and him. He smiled as some sort of deep-seated possessiveness overtook him. His woman. His witch.

  And someday, his wife.

  The thought broadened his smile. He was ridiculously in love and didn’t care who knew it. Whether or not they had bonded last night, he wasn’t sure. But they’d definitely given it the old college try. How Pandora had had the energy to bond after everything she’d been through yesterday, he had no idea.

  He slipped quietly out of bed, threw on his clothes and shut her door, then went into the kitchen.

  Pumpkin was already there and looked on the verge of a serious bout of meowing. He gave her a scratch on the head to pre-empt it. “I’m going to feed you first, how about that?”

  He found her food, filled a bowl and set it in front of her before the crying begin. Pumpkin buried her face in it, happy and occupied.

  Cole turned his attention to coffee next. Kaley didn’t need to be up just yet, but he’d have to take her home soon so she could get ready for school. He’d make her breakfast there, too. There was no way to do that quietly, and he wanted Pandora to rest.

  While the coffee was brewing, he took the pad of paper by the phone and a pen and wrote Pandora a note. He didn’t want her thinking he’d just abandoned her. He scribbled everything he needed to say, folded it in half and went back to her bedroom.

  She hadn’t moved, which just reinforced his thinking that she needed to rest and recover. He put the note on her nightstand under her phone, then went back to the kitchen.

  Kaley trudged in as he was pouring himself a cup of coffee. She blinked at him, her eyes still thick with sleep.

  “You don’t look awake,” he said softly.

  “M’not.” She stretched. “Miss Williams still sleeping?”

  “Yes, and we need to be quiet so she can stay that way. When you feel up to it, gather your stuff and we’ll go back to our house. You can leave on the pajamas you borrowed from Miss Williams. We’ll shower and eat at home. Okay?”

  She nodded, yawned, and shambled back toward the guest room.

  He wasn’t sure anything he’d said had registered through the haze of sleep, but a few minutes later she was back, flip-flops on, backpack in hand. She crouched down to pet Pumpkin. “Morning, kitty.”

  “You ready?”

  Kaley looked up at him and nodded. “Is Miss Williams going to be okay?”

  “Yes. She just needs to rest. I’m going to come back and check on her this afternoon.”

  Kaley stood and hugged her backpack to her chest. She looked younger than her thirteen years, and a wave of nostalgia swept through Cole. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Kaley-did.”

  “Love you too, Daddy.”

  By the time he’d dropped her off at school, he had a pretty solid list of what he hoped to accomplish that day. Corette had texted him to say she’d swung by Pandora’s and she was still sleeping, so he figured he could finally finish the last of the clean-out downstairs before he went back to check on Pandora himself. The more uninterrupted sleep she got, the better.

  As he pulled into his driveway, his phone rang. He checked the number, thinking it was Pandora, but it wasn’t one he recognized. The area code was Georgia, though. “Hello?”

  “Cole? This is Stanhill. Sorry for the early call, but you didn’t strike me as a man who sleeps in.”

  “No, I’m definitely not that. What can I do for you?” Cole hadn’t expected to hear from the man so soon, but it was encouraging.

  “Actually, it’s what I can do for you. I mentioned to Hugh about your teaching qualifications, and he and his brother Sebastian would like to meet with you. Are you available today?”

  “Sure.” Wow, that was fast. “What time?”

  “An hour from now. I’ll text you the address. Will that be enough time?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Very good. Sending the address now.”

  “Thank you.”

  Stanhill chuckled. “You don’t have the job yet, son. And if you want to thank anyone, thank Corette. There’s no denying a Williams woman when she wants something.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “I’m sure you have. As much as Pandora wants you here, so does Corette
. Right here where you can make her daughter happy. And possibly provide her with grandchildren.”

  “I’ll make a note of that. And I’ll be sure to let her know how much I appreciate her strong-arming you into getting me this interview.”

  “Now you’ve got it.” Stanhill laughed as he signed off.

  Cole checked the text with the address. He brought up his GPS to check the driving time. Twenty minutes. More than enough time to shower and get on the road.

  His drive took him to an enormous iron and stone gate. Worked into the iron over the entrance were the words Harmswood Academy. The school for supernaturals. The place his daughter could be attending very soon.

  What would it be like to teach here? If things went well, he’d soon know. He stopped before the gate and a guard came out of the security building.

  Cole rolled his window down.

  “Can I help you, sir?” the man asked.

  “Cole Van Zant. I have an appointment.”

  The man checked a list on a tablet, then nodded and tapped the screen. The gate began to swing open. He nodded at Cole. “Have a good day.”

  “You too.” Cole drove through.

  The campus was amazing. Set in the hills, the woods alongside the drive eventually gave way to several large stone buildings and a few smaller ones. Most were three stories. The main building was four. This was the most impressive private school he’d ever seen.

  He followed the signs for visitors, parked in the lot and walked in with a manila envelope containing his resume tucked under one arm. The place was swathed in dark wood and tapestries. Marble tiles provided flooring while shelves of books and framed maps lined the walls. In the center of the space sat an ornate globe about the size of a compact car. Very Old World. Very old money.

  The reception area was just beyond the foyer. A woman with pointed ears greeted him. “Good morning. Welcome to Harmswood. How may I help you?”

  “I’m Cole Van Zant. I have an appointment with Hugh and Sebastian Ellingham.”

  “Of course.” She stood. “Right this way.”

  She led him down a broad hall. Oil portraits of the board members decorated one side. Many of them were decidedly not human. He tried not to stare. The receptionist turned into a small alcove with two doors. She knocked on the right one.